Listen to new tracks from deadmau5, Rezz, Attlas and more on mau5trap’s ‘We Are Friends Vol. 5’

Mau5trap’s compilation series, We Are Friends, began in 2012 as a way for deadmau5 to show off fledgling artists under the mau5trap wing. The annual compilation never falls short of expectations, highlighting Zimmerman’s skill in selecting the next generation of artists pushing electronic music forward. We Are Friends Vol. 5 continues the trend of excellence, in addition to venturing deeper into the tech and progressive regions explored in the past two editions.

Label-boss deadmau5 takes opening duties, lending his latest masterpiece “Saved” to the release, which takes listeners on a ten-minute journey through tightly-engineered progressive sounds. ATTLAS also returns a third time to the series with a four-to-the-floor sizzler “Crawl.” Oliver Winters contributes one of the more haunting pieces to Vol. 5, pairing poignant synth melodies with pounding industrial accents and deep bass.

Matt Lange’s remix of Eekkoo’s “Hell Is Other People” is easily a standout of the compilation; the maestro darkens the original cut into a cunning, metallic techno piece whose dystopian vibe is enhanced by the choice of instrumentation. Finally, Rezz closes out We Are Friends Vol. 5 with a grungy output, “Voice In The Wall.”